Putting It Together
by ParadoxicalOne
Summary: [GSR] Part 2 ... Sara & Grissom investigate a case that mirrors memories she has as a child. Grissom tries to comfort her. Sara tries to leave Las Vegas, but Grissom won't let her. They come to terms in their relationship.
1. Chapter 1

_Putting It Together_

_Disclaimer:_ Not mine. Not mine at all. _CSI_ belongs to CBS. Blah, blah, blah…

**Chapter 1**

The night seemed to drag on for Sara. This was the hardest case in the past few months. Not the case itself, but the context of the case. She could not help but feel affected by the past few hours. Her arms were lying on the railing in front of her. A warm breeze fluttered around her, but all Sara could feel was cold. She swallowed hard looking out over the LVPD parking lot.

Grissom stood inside the double doors of the LVPD building watching Sara's still body. She had her arms propped on the railing, but she was not leaning on it for support. He had waited to see how affected she had been by the case. The drive back to the lab had been overly tense. Sara had not said one word since she finished processing the scene. In fact, when Grissom thought about it, he had not heard a word out of her since they had entered the house.

Sara shuddered despite the warm evening as she was remembering the events.

This particular Tuesday she came to work an hour early to finish up some paperwork from the day before when the 419 came over her phone. Grissom walked into the breakroom where she was poring over the paperwork and mumbled something Sara was unable to decipher. It was not until she looked up at him in almost distress with squinted eyes at the interruption that Grissom realized she had not heard a word he had said.

"419, dead body, crime scene," he grumbled at her, "Crime Scene Investigator, job. Any of this sound familiar?" His irritation at not being heard was evident. "Kit. Two minutes at the Tahoe."

Something about his tone was off. Sara squinted further and sighed heavily. She knew better than to say anything to him that would further incense the man. Only a few times in the past had she seen him angry, and luckily it had never been directed at her. She was not about to change that tonight. In response to his words, Sara shut the folder in front of her, tucked it under her arm, hoisted herself from the chair, and followed him from the room.

Grissom looked almost pleased that she hadn't said anything to him. His head bent slightly towards the door as he slid out and went to retrieve his crime scene kit. His day had been fraught with sleeplessness. Despite his distaste for paperwork, Grissom had wanted nothing more than a peaceful shift in which he could drown himself in tedious experiments. He just wanted to relax. He had not had a day off in over two months.

In the car on the way over to the scene, Sara stole a few glances at him while he was driving. His appearance was not angry or upset – it was tired. He looked on the edge of nothingness. His stare in front of him was blank, where usually his look was apprehension, almost giddy at the thought of what he would find at the scene.

Sara felt for him in that moment. Even though she had no idea what was bothering him, she knew he needed comfort. He would never tell anyone that – Grissom was far too stubborn and proud – but Sara knew he needed it more than anything at that moment. She started to reach for him and tell him that everything would be okay. Knowing that he needed comfort was pushed aside for the knowledge that Grissom would be more hurt by appearing helpless.

The scene itself looked normal on the outside of the house. No one except the officer at the door had been inside to see the body that was waiting for them. Grissom and Sara were the first to arrive on the scene followed by mere seconds by Captain Brass. Brass lead the CSIs through the front door of the house. He talked to the officer while Sara followed Grissom further into the living room.

Iron. The smell hung in the air thickly. It was almost too thick to breathe. Involuntarily, both CSIs knew what to do and pulled on latex gloves while walking through the house. Nothing was amiss downstairs, so instinctively, they filed neatly and cautiously up the stairs. The bedroom – the real crime scene – upstairs awaited them.

One look at the room, and Sara drew in a deep breath. The copper filled her lungs almost choking her. A man lie on the bed in a most uncomfortable position, blood still dripping off of his outstretched hand that dangled just over the edge. Grissom turned around and looked at Sara. The pain and fear was evident on her face. Memories of a long ago past plagued her.

A few tense seconds passed before Sara backed slowly from the room. "I'm going to go talk to Brass and see what the witness has to say."

Knowing that words would not comfort her, Grissom nodded his approval. He wanted to give her space to do as she needed. As good of a CSI as she was, he knew it would still be hard to completely objective with such a vivid past that haunted her. Her retreat was quick and utterly silent.

Outside, Sara walked up to Brass. "Where's the wife?" she asked hoarsely.

"The suspect?" Brass scoffed, "She's by the squad car. The daughter is in the ambulance. Neither are talking, though."

Sara's attention was drawn to the woman – the suspect. The blue and red strobe lights of the cars highlighted the purple on the woman's face. Sara's gut tightened as she studied the woman more closely. Her neck, arms, and wrists matched the bruises on her face. Instinctively, Sara cast her look at the child in the ambulance. The little girl's long dark hair did not hide the marks she had as well. The distant stare in her eyes told Sara a story more heinous than words could ever portray.

Years vanished. It was flashbacks hit her in Polaroid form. The blood spatter on the walls upstairs. The spatter on the woman's shirt. The knife that was still in the man's chest. The bruises. The smell of iron and beer. The look of absent, empty pain in the girl's eyes. Tears were lightly welling up in Sara's eyes.

The door opening behind her startled Sara back to reality. She blinked her tears away. She begged herself to be strong. Sara knew she couldn't let herself be seen as weak in front of her peers. She hoped they weren't out here for her. Her pride was too strong to want a pity party at this stage of the game. Grissom was the only one that had ever seen her and known her innermost thoughts, and sometimes she hated that he knew. If there was one thing that she hated more than anything was to let Grissom see her at her worst and let him down because she was weak – human, even.

Her thoughts had drowned out the sound of the footsteps walking over to her. Her normally analytical mind was drawing a blank with the routine throws of society. Sara drew in a breath just as she felt a sudden breeze brush her neck and someone clearing their throat. She jumped almost out of her skin and clutched the railing.


	2. Chapter 2

_Putting It Together_

_Disclaimer:_ Still not mine... Wish it was because I'd be rich and famous... _CSI_ belongs to CBS...

**Chapter 2**

"It's just me, Sara. Are you okay?" Grissom found himself saying.

"I–I'm fine. I just...just needed some fresh air."

"You've been out here staring at that same point in the concrete for the last 45 minutes. That's a lot of fresh air." He continued talking to her back. His breath was tickling her neck as it brushed down past her ear.

"Grissom, have you been watching me?"

"Would you be angry if I said yes?" Grissom sighed deeply, gathering the courage to continue, "Sara, I'm concerned about you. I know that scene today was bad, and it brought back a lot of memories. I..."

"I'm fine, Grissom, I really am. No need to worry about me. You've seen me at my worst, and this is not it... Not yet."

"That's the part that concerns me. Sara..." His voice trailed off as if in deep thought. "I... well, I... I'm here if you need to talk."

Grissom was so close behind her that Sara's heartbeat increased involuntarily. She could feel the heat from his body seeping into her. It calmed the chill of her memories. Finally Sara felt strong enough to talk without tears threatening her.

"That scene. It was so... so real. I just couldn't help but think. I couldn't close my emotions off. I just couldn't help but feel so helpless." Sara bit back the tears. "That little girl, Grissom... Did you look in her eyes?"

"Sara…"

Sara felt her blood start boiling. She knew that Grissom was about to tell her not to feel – to close off her emotions, to only look at the evidence. He was always very cautious about showing any sign of emotion, and even the slight implication that she should not have a single empathetic cell in her body irked Sara.

Angrily, Sara spun around. Only then was she fully aware of just how close Grissom was to her. Their bodies brushed together roughly as she came to a stop facing him. Neither moved as she stood there pressed against his chest. Her eyes flew up to his, where he was already searching hers. Their faces were only inches apart.

Any thought Sara had was lost in the instant she looked into his eyes. The tired look he had earlier in the shift was replaced with one of concern, almost emotion. The slight squint in his eyes threatened to stifle the breath in Sara's throat.

Even with Grissom's hands in his pockets, he was still an imposing figure in front of her. The railing now behind her felt threateningly close. She knew there were a few inches there behind her to give her more space, but Sara was afraid to use it. Fight or flight emotions were rising in her. Emotions were raw, and Grissom was far too close.

"Sara, if you need some time off – time to deal with everything, I'll work it out." Grissom spoke lightly while watching the reaction of her face.

A slight musing of a smile played at the corner of her mouth. "I don't need time off. That's the last thing I need. What I need is..." Sara turned her head away.

"...To fix all the wrongs in the world, Sara?"

This brought her attention back to his face. "If I can help one person, then it makes this all worth it."

"But, it won't stop at one person. It's one more and then another and another after that. You have to take time for yourself."

"Spoken from the man that doesn't do that himself," Sara scoffed, "You want me to stop feeling? You want me to cut off every single element of the human inside? We've been over this, Grissom, I can't, and I won't. These people need someone to speak for them, and if it has to be, then so be it. I won't let them be forgotten."

"No one is asking you to forget them. In the process, however, you can't forget yourself. You are human, Sara. You need feelings, but feelings within the realm of looking at the evidence are going to destroy you. You're going to burn out."

"Some pep talk. Next you're going to tell me that I'm too strong to let things like this affect my work?"

Grissom mulled over what she said for a few seconds and pursed his lips. "No. You're far too strong not to let it affect your work."

Sara furrowed her eyebrows and squinted at him. Her mouth opened slightly to speak, but no words escaped her lips. She watched Grissom close his eyes.

He continued in almost a whisper, "You fight for what you believe in. You actually know what you want, and you go after it. Each case gets your entire being, your soul. You dig until it's over without care for anything else until it's over. Those are extremely admirable qualities. You give without abandon." Grissom opened his eyes. "What scares me is that you will give up too much of yourself. I don't want–I can't lose you over you losing yourself."

At a complete loss for words, Sara stood there with her mouth hanging open. It was the first time she had ever seen him truly open up. Sure, she had seen him lose his temper only a few times, but this was a calm release of emotion. The words hung in the hair with an almost sweet taste to them.

The emotion was raw and tense. Too much for Sara, she put her hands on Grissom's chest to push him away while she moved the few inches back and felt the small of her back touch the railing behind her. Instinctively, Grissom reached up and took a hold of her wrists. The act surprised Sara immensely. The hold was tense, yet loose at the same time. She knew she could pull away, but something pushed her to stay.

"Gris–"

"Shhh. Listen for just a moment," Grissom demanded lightly. He loosed the grip of her wrists and pushed her hands flat against his chest. Grissom slid his hands to cover hers. "I have always remained an almost silent observer of all aspects of life. When I choose words, mine are often camouflaged within the drape of words spoken by someone else."

A long, heavy sigh, and Grissom continued, "Sara, we all have different ways of dealing with situations from our pasts. Blocking them out, pretending they don't exist, pretending we are void of any emotion or facing them, confronting their existence, using them to strengthen the future." Another even heavier sigh. "Sara..." Grissom closed his eyes again.

"Grissom, we don't have to do this. I–I know. I need to deal with what has happened in my past. I'm trying to. I really am. I'll... I'll be okay."

Eyes still closed, Grissom responded, "I'm not just worried about you anymore."

"The lab? The damn lab? You're so freaking worried about the lab." With that, Sara tore her hands away from him as she spun and walked a few feet away. She shook her head in anger and gripped the railing so hard her knuckles turned stark white.

Grissom stared at her back for a few poignant moments. "No, Sara, forget the lab. Right now, I don't give a shit about the lab. The only thing I care about is the woman standing in front of me hurting more than any one person should. And, I know that I've caused some of it."

The words hit her as hard as a brick on her skull. Tears. Tears were all Sara could find. Everything she had wanted for so long was crashing in on her. The day had been hell, and Sara felt it closing in on her more, almost suffocating. Her breath was ragged as she drew it in. She leaned onto the railing for support.

Unconsciously, Grissom reached out for her. His hands found her shoulders. It felt natural despite the fact he had never held her like this before. Lightly, Grissom rubbed her shoulders. For the first time in his career Grissom had little concern for the people at LVPD CSI and what they could potentially be seeing.

"Grissom, you can't keep doing this to me." Sara's voice was shaking, and she made no attempt to hide it. "You keep teasing me with these little things you say, and then a few minutes later you push me away. I..." Sara pulled away from his hands and turned around to face him. She searched his face with rapt interest. Looks of fear, regret, and hurt etched themselves in his normally controlled features.

Sara did everything in her power to ignore the pang in her heart telling her to relent. Her voice grew strong, "When I turn in my notice at the beginning of shift tonight, I hope you understand why I'm doing it. Don't question it. Just sign off on my vacation time, and in two weeks, I'll be out of your hair."

Sara threw her arms up in disgust and stalked off quickly towards the door. Unbelievably, Sara felt she needed the sanctity of other people. She needed to not be alone with Gil Grissom any further. Grissom just stared after her. He felt the burning in his stomach growing larger as she disappeared inside the building.

The remaining two hours of the shift went slowly. Grissom could not wait for the end of the shift this time. He needed away from the building – to be at home where he could relish in the loneliness of his townhouse surrounding him. Sara had disappeared and not been seen since he had talked to her outside.

On the way out the door Grissom overheard some indistinct talking. Something in the tone caught his attention. He turned to see Greg and Nick in the hallway, completely oblivious to him.

"Yeah, I saw her a little while ago. She didn't look too good," Nick answered Greg.

"She looked like someone took her overtime away," Greg replied jokingly.

"I'm serious, dude, she looked pretty upset. I haven't seen her since she snapped at Hodges about an hour ago." Nick shook his head lightly and looked up to see Grissom. "Hey, Gris, you seen Sara?"

Grissom found himself at a loss for words. He narrowed his eyes and tilted his head as he walked away. "I've been in my office all morning, Nick. She's got her own cases to work."

Nick looked shocked at that bland and rather indifferent answer. It had never been like his supervisor to be so flippant unless he had a reason. Maybe Grissom knew something about why Sara really was upset, but Nick knew better than to push it with him.


	3. Chapter 3

_Putting It Together_

_Disclaimer:_ You know it's not mine... _CSI_ belongs to CBS...

**Chapter 3**

Grissom had tossed and turned for six hours before he finally gave up and went for a walk. He had a small distaste for the sights of Las Vegas in the daylight, but walking down the strip in all of the hustle and bustle of tourists allowed him the distraction he needed. Watching people and their odd interactions gave him a way of distancing himself from himself and analyzing his own odd human interaction.

After three hours of walking Grissom still felt no better. He ambled back to his car and drove to the Crime Lab. He was three hours early to work. Even though that was nothing new, he felt extremely odd walking into the lab. His instincts told him Sara was serious. The ache in his stomach hit him harder as he walked through the lab door.

Paperwork occupied his hours until the CSIs started arriving. Sara walked into Grissom's office silently and dropped a paper in the midst of the file he had open. She stood at the edge of his desk watching him. Grissom briefly scanned the paper and looked up at her. He sighed and removed his glasses.

"Sara, I think we need to talk about this. It's–"

"There's nothing to talk about. I'm going back to San Francisco. I'll leave in two weeks." She replied dryly, "Unless that is, you want me to leave sooner."

"I don't want you to leave at all."

"Don't. Just don't, okay? If this is another of those 'the lab needs you' speeches, I don't want to hear it. We've been through this before. Why I stayed is beyond me, and I don't plan on making the same mistake again."

"Sit," Grissom said. Seeing the defiant look on her face at his demand he added, "Please." The tone in his voice was soft. And, the attempt at casual was apparent.

Sara sighed unpleasantly, but she sat anyway. The annoyance in her demeanor was obvious even to the most unintentional observer. She leaned back casually in the chair and crossed the ankles of her outstretched legs.

"Comfy?"

"Delightedly so, actually."

"Good." Grissom tilted his head slightly. He pursed his lips and continued, "I think you need to take time to think this through. I'm not going to sign off on the vacation."

"Then, don't sign off on it. I don't care. I'm quitting," Sara's voice droned icily, "either way it's over. I can have the next two weeks to finish everything and take my vacation and just never come back. Or I can just quit tonight."

"And what will that accomplish?"

"Everything... And nothing. But it will sure make me feel a whole hell of a lot better."

"What would make you feel better?"

Sara sat straight up in the chair at that comment. Her eyes were shooting daggers at Grissom. She squinted and leaned forward. "Damn it, Grissom. You think you can play mind games with me? I'm not one of your little experiments. You can't turn this around into a psych eval and make me think there's some reason I should say." Sara's words were laced with anger. "You can't break me down into a sniveling, crying mess like the last time and get me to confess my innermost thoughts and feelings. You don't get it."

"I do, Sara. That's precisely the reason I don't want you to go."

Shaking her head vigorously, Sara stood and put her hands on his desk. She glared into his eyes in an extremely intimidating manner. Leaning over dangerously close to Grissom with that same anger in her eyes, Sara said in barely a whisper, "You're forcing me to quit."

That look in her eyes would have made any man run in fear of their lives – any man with the exception of Grissom, that is. Instead, he found equal footing and almost played with a grin on his face. "I would prefer to force you to go to breakfast with me when the shift is over."

Her eyes softened, and a smile played at the corner of her lips. Sara looked away and stood from the desk shaking her head. "I..." she sighed, "I don't get you. Six years. Six damn years, Grissom. Six years I've been playing this hot and cold game. I'm through with games – I'm through with Vegas." She looked back at his blue eyes seeing something indeterminate in them.

"You have every reason to be angry at me. I've not done the one thing that I needed to do for the past few years. The one thing I was afraid to do – to tell you how I feel."

Sara blinked hard. Looks of confusion, disbelief, and uncertainty crossed her face. She tilted her head to the side, and her mouth opened slightly. "What?" she asked hoarsely.

Catherine walked into the office behind Sara. "Sorry to break up the conversation, but some of us are waiting on work. We're in the breakroom waiting on our assignments when you two are through with your little _chat_."

Neither Sara nor Grissom moved or looked away from each other. Grissom only managed to say, "Cath, there are no calls as of yet tonight."

"Then what are we doing?"

Sighing lightly, Grissom replied without emotion, "Well, I assume everyone has a case that's open for them or can offer assistance to someone else in the lab with a case that they're on. With all of the open cases out there, I'm sure that no one will be void of work for tonight."

Catherine rolled her eyes and strode from the room hastily mumbling under her breath. She had no idea what that was about, but the arrogance of Grissom was wearing on her last nerve. She wanted to throw something. Instead, she just walked back into the room and slammed his door behind her.

Nick, Greg, and Warrick were waiting for her in the breakroom. She flew through the door with a vengeance and threw herself into a chair. Each of them eyed her suspiciously, yet everyone was afraid to ask. She filled them in on the few words that were exchanged in Grissom's office and grunted her disapproval.

Nick ventured first, "You know, Sara was really upset at the end of shift this morning."

Warrick went next, "Bobby said something about Sara being vague and sounding like she was quitting."

"We can only be so lucky. She's been a thorn in our collective side since she got here. And, Grissom has always given her preferential treatment," Cath replied icily.

"Cath, we've all done things that we're not proud of. He's been there for each of us," Nick replied.

"I don't see him coddling any of the rest of us." Catherine's tone was dry.

Greg ventured into the conversation at that point. "Nick's right. Grissom has been there for each of us in some way. There must be something going on that we're not aware of."

This entire conversation was incensing Catherine. "Not like this. She's being a baby, and he's catering to her. She turns on the drama and gets what she wants. She has been out to get us from the day she got here. I don't know why he called her, and I really wish he wouldn't have. She's got no reason to be here."

"Tell us how you really feel, Cath," Warrick huffed and continued on, "He brought her in to save us from the outside. Why her, I have no idea. But, the point is that he brought in to try to find out what happened to Holly Gribbs before IA got involved. She's really the reason I'm still here today."

"I found out what happened to Holly Gribbs. She just followed along and tried to hang your ass out to dry. Do you forget so easily that she was the one looking into why you weren't in court that day?"

"I remember very clearly. And, I also remember it was Grissom who asked her to look into it. I was angry at her when it happened to, but she had a job to do. If it wasn't for Grissom trying to look out for me with having her look into it, Ecklie would've had IA in on that one as well. Warrick sighed. "He's covered for or helped all of us at some time."

Greg interjected, "He gave me another chance to get into the field when I failed my third proficiency test."

Catherine had to relent. "The explosion, the DNA testing. I get it... I get it... Still doesn't mean I like her being around."

Nick flashed a flirty grin at Catherine. "You just don't like not being the only female on the team."

They all had a good laugh as they left the breakroom to find some cases to take care of.

While the rest of the team had been talking, Grissom and Sara had not said a word. Sara had reseated herself in one of the chairs in front of his desk. They eyed each other suspiciously yet both were cautious to say anything.

Finally, Grissom picked up her vacation request and resignation. He held them in the middle of the paper and asked, "May I have the honors?"

"If this is some trick just to get me to stay, Mr. Grissom, you're going to be in trouble." Sara grinned and narrowed her eyes in a playful manner.

"I assure you, this is not a trick. But, I will say that the thought of you leaving and going back to San Francisco might drive me to some very drastic measures," Grissom replied with a smile and an arched eyebrow. The smile was large enough to crinkle the corner of his eyes as he ripped the paper in half and tossed it over his shoulder.

"I guess we should find some work to do before people start talking."

"Too late for people to start talking based on the amount of people that have walked by looking in here. However, there is a body in autopsy from last night that we never got to talk to the Doc about."

Sara stood. "Not that decomp, I hope. I like this shirt." She frowned humorously.

"Better change into a jumpsuit, then," Grissom teased her as he grabbed a file and ushered her out of his office. Sara studied his face. The boyish grin he was wearing replaced the usual lines that were etched due to long nights and hard cases.


	4. Chapter 4

_Putting It Together_

_Disclaimer:_ I own a house and a car, but I don't own _CSI_. _CSI_ belongs to CBS...

**Chapter 4**

The shift passed fluidly. There were no new calls that night. A lot of cases were wrapped up and paperwork was processed efficiently. A lazy night on the night shift was a welcome change to everyone involved. Ten minutes before the end of shift Grissom found Sara sealing an evidence envelope. He walked up behind her quietly, happy that she was alone.

He leaned in to whisper in her ear, "So, how about breakfast?"

She smirked and turned slightly pink. "Are you asking me on a date?"

"Would you accept an offer if I did?"

Her smile grew wider. "I might have, except my boss is forcing me to go to breakfast with him after shift."

Grissom heaved a small chuckle. "Well, I say you cancel with him and go to breakfast with me instead," he said with a smirk, "I hear he's a jerk. He stares down microscopes far too much and ignored the best thing in his life for far too long."

Sara turned her head to face him and smiled fully. "I wouldn't call him a jerk – maybe just distracted and lofty, but not a jerk. But, he is my boss. I might need the promise of something more than breakfast for me to cancel with him."

"Mmm. Well..." Grissom smiled back at her. He pursed his lips and winked. With that he was gone.

Sara turned back around and finished sealing the evidence bag. Her attention was not on the task at hand. She was just completely drawn to the fact that Grissom had finally asked her out on a date that she had not noticed a group of people gathering behind her.

Sara turned around to see Catherine. She was leading the pack standing in the doorway. Greg, Nick, Warrick, and Brass were behind her. She looked at each of them wondering what was going on.

Catherine gestured towards the group, "We were all wondering if you were up for breakfast. Everyone is hungry, and since we're all getting off at the same time, it sounded like a good idea. No guarantees when this'll happen again."

"Um..." Sara stammered, "I kinda had plans this morning after shift."

Everyone's face fell as if she had slapped each of them at the exact same moment. Sensing the unease, Sara asked, "Well, is everyone going?"

"Those of us that are here right now, yeah. We have no idea where our illustrious boss has gone. Haven't seen him in a couple of hours. He's probably holing up in some dark room with a microscope and one of his little jars of creepy crawly creatures."

"Who is where with what?" Grissom asked from behind the group.

Everyone turned to face Grissom. Everyone, with the exception of Catherine, wore looks of dread and embarrassment. She just turned on her heels and stared him down, for a moment before speaking. "We were just asking Sara to breakfast."

Grissom glanced at Sara with the silent question. She understood. "I told them I had other plans, but they're trying to woo me to the dark side."

Catherine interrupted, "She's coming with us, and so are you, Mr. Unfriendly. We might not get another chance when we're all off at the same time for months. Let's go."

Grissom got tugged away by Catherine and Sara followed closely behind. Life had a strong sense of irony about it. You get what you want only to be sideswiped by unexpected little quirks at the exact same moment.

They all ate in happy unison. It seemed the most productive of nights they had had in a long time. As with cases that were put to rest and paperwork that was finished and filed away, tensions in the group appeared to lessen as well. The breakfast served to reinforce that feeling of harmony.

Grissom watched intently as Greg followed Sara to her car. "Sara, is everything okay?"

"Sure, Greg. Everything's fine. Why?"

"You really seemed upset yesterday. And, today's shift you were having an argument with Grissom. I'm just worried about you."

"It was just a tough case. I needed to find perspective. Thanks for asking."

"No problem. That's what friends are for," Greg replied. He hesitated before adding, "Look, if you need to talk or something, you know I'm here, right? I mean... for anything. If you ever want to go out and grab something to eat or just hang out or something, I'll be there for you."

Sara smiled, hearing the sincerity in his voice. "Thanks. I really appreciate it. I'm okay for now," she said with a giggle, "but I'll let you know if I break down."

Everyone was in their cars and driving home when Grissom's phone rang.

"Grissom."

"You owe me a breakfast. Don't think I won't collect."

"I hear you ended up going out with your boss anyway. How was it?"

"Far too crowded for my personal taste."

Grissom involuntarily chuckled at that. "We'll have to fix that. Where are you headed?"

"Right now, to the Strip. I'm too keyed up to go home. I thought I might drive around a bit."

"I prefer walks on the crowded streets."

"Want some company?" Sara asked quietly.

"You just said you don't like crowds."

"You're far too technically oriented."

"Hazard of the job," Grissom replied matter-of-factly. "Instead, we could just keep driving around town like this. I enjoy talking on the phone to the person in the car in front of me."

Sara looked up into her rearview mirror to see a smiling Grissom waving to her from his car. "Hello, there," he said into the phone. Sara laughed.

"Follow me home and walk me to my door after our almost-date. Then tomorrow morning we'll start over anew."

"That's awfully pretentious of you to assume that I'd follow you home. Shouldn't that be saved for after our first date?"

"Possibly. However, I'm going to drive to my apartment now. Whether I walk up to my door alone is up to you." Sara smirked, waved lightly to Grissom from her car, and clicked her phone shut.

Two hours later, Sara and Grissom were sitting on her couch. They laughed and talked. It was comfortable. There was no lack of conversation, and if there was, the silence was never uncomfortable. Over the years, there had been a silent understanding from each of them in what the other was thinking and feeling.

Grissom reached up and touched her face lightly. He rubbed her cheek with his thumb and her neck with his fingers. Sara smiled and blushed at the touch.

Grissom leaned in to kiss her. It was gentle and so tender. She welcomed the touch of his lips. The electricity between them ignited the passions that had long been unresolved. It was so loving and deep. Both were breathless when he pulled away to look at her face.

"I've wanted that for so long," Sara whispered.

"Was it worth the wait?" Grissom breathed against her cheek.

"I am really not sure you want me to answer that."

Grissom pulled back and looked into her eyes. A slight smile played at the corners of her lips. At the look of amused frustration in his eyes, Sara fought with herself not to break into a laugh.

Without any hesitation, Grissom leaned in and pressed his lips hard onto her. The movement was swift and purposeful. Sara groaned pleasantly against his lips. He pushed her down onto the couch and covered her body with his. Sara clutched his back and answered his kiss equally as passionately.

Their hands explored each other's bodies. The unspoken passions of years erupted in both of them as their hands led the silent undress of the other. Savoring each caress of skin, the process was slow and detailed.

Grissom reluctantly pulled away and stood off of her over the couch. He gently took her hand and pulled her to her feet. Words were not needed to direct Sara. She smiled shyly and squeezed his hand while leading him to the bedroom. Shirts and shoes lie behind them in an utter chaos.

The rest of the clothes lie in a heap quickly at the side of Sara's bed. Grissom laid Sara down gently on the bed. They locked eyes for mere moments or minutes, neither was sure. Sara touched Grissom's face and ran her other hand through his hair.

"Oh, Grissom," Sara breathed as he bent his head and kissed her neck behind her ear.

As if on cue, a telephone rang beside them. Sara shut her eyes and drew a deep breath. Grissom rose up above her and sighed. Both were hoping it was a hallucination. It rang again. It was Sara's turn to sigh. He looked over the edge of the bed and reached for his phone.

Sara banged her head into the pillow in disgust as Grissom put the phone to his ear. She stared into his eyes hoping with every ounce of her being that he would decide to not answer it.

"Grissom," he stated with obvious distaste.

Catherine's voice filtered through the earpiece, "Gil, we've got a situation."

"I'm busy, Catherine. This had better be important."

"It's important enough for me to be called in. So, it's important enough for you. In fact, they're calling for all hands on deck. Day shift has the FBI on their ass about some case from a few weeks ago involving an agent that was killed at a casino that's remained unsolved."

"Day shift has nothing to do with me. Call Ecklie. He's the one in charge of the lab," Grissom replied dryly.

"I don't care about days myself. But, there's a pile-up on I-15. At least 15 dead, and it looks like there's more to come. They're calling for both Swing and Nights to get in on this. Ecklie has no idea what he's doing."

"How did you find out about this first?"

Catherine scoffed. "Look, this isn't a power play." Knowing he couldn't see the roll of her eyes, Catherine continued, "The sheriff called you at home. When you didn't answer, he called me. When I didn't get an answer at your place, I called your cell. End of story. Gil, just get here fast. The rest of the team is being notified now."

No further words, and the phone went dead. Grissom rolled himself over as he flopped heavily onto the bed beside Sara. "I'm sorry."

"No reason to be sorry. It's not your fault people die. It does make me hate my job for a bit, though."

"Don't have too much distaste for it, Sara. You're about to get an immense amount of overtime."

"Huh?"

Again, on cue the telephone rang. It was hers this time. "Ring, ring," Grissom said as she reached for her phone on the nightstand. He started dressing as she was taking the call.


	5. Chapter 5

_Putting It Together_

_Disclaimer:_ _CSI_ belongs to CBS. I wish I had some say in it, but alas, I'm nothing more than a dreamer...

**Chapter 5**

Twenty minutes later, both Grissom and Sara were pulling into the Crime Lab parking lot. Grissom hoped he had a spare shirt in his office. He knew it was going to be a long day.

"Grissom, isn't that what you were wearing at the end of shift?" Greg asked.

Grissom looked pissed at the question. "Greg, what I wear and when I wear it are of none of your concern. However, if you must know, I didn't go home after work. Occasionally, I do find it pleasant to go to movies, ride roller coasters, and take a stroll on the Strip." He quickly switched topics looking around the room, "Okay. I want two in each Tahoe. We're working in pairs on this. Nick and Greg, Catherine with Warrick, and Sara, you're with me. Swing is here to back us up. They're pulling evidence, and as soon as everything is picked up, they're gone, and we're running the show. Let's go."

He stopped as he was exiting the door and turned around to add, "Oh, and the media is all over this. You know how to act and what to say."

Nick said, "Yeah. No talking, no smiling, no flirting, no scratching our butts."

"Couldn't have said it better, Nicky."

Sara sat at the table with pictures and paperwork strewn out in front of her, elbows on the table, and her head in her hands. They were nearing the end of their own shift time. The sun shining outside did nothing to energize the Night Shift crew.

Grissom walked in and took a chair beside Sara. He started droning on about the case and the evening. She had not made a move since he walked into the room. He squinted at her and looked out into the hall briefly. Lightly, Grissom put his hand on her shoulder. Sara jumped.

"Oh, God. Tell me that didn't just happen," Sara mumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Grissom looked at her with a quirky grin, not relenting in the touch of her shoulder. She turned her head to look at him. Their eyes danced around each other.

"You're only human, Sara."

"How do you do it, Grissom? How do you make it through shifts like this?"

Grissom mulled it over for a few seconds. "I don't know. I just do, I suppose." Grissom's lips turned up at the corner in the hint of a smile. "It helps to have beautiful brown eyes looking at me each night."

Sara blushed as Warrick walked into the room. She looked up at him as Grissom pulled his hand away from her shoulder. "I think it's time I went home. I've been up for far too long to be of any use to anyone right now." She sighed and shuffled the table's contents into a folder. She smiled at both men before leaving the room.

"Gris, we've got the trace back from the–"

"Warrick," Grissom replied with a stifled yawn, "we need to let this all rest for the next while. Fresh eyes, fresh evidence. The bodies aren't going anywhere, and we're all running on less than empty. Go home." Grissom patted him on the shoulder. "Get some sleep while you can – we're running twelves until this case is over. We'll tackle this tonight as soon as our shift starts."

Warrick watched Grissom leave with a confused look on his face. Never had he seen Grissom so willing to let something go. He grinned and shuffled the folder under his arm. He mused to himself that even the rock needed a break every now and then.

Grissom flipped open his phone and hit speed dial.

"Sidle."

"Are you at home yet?"

"Funny. I haven't even gotten out of the building yet."

"Would it be presumptuous of me to ask if I could pick up some clothes from home and spend the day with you?"

The tone of her voice conveyed the smile on her lips. "I would love that. But, I'm so tired, I'm just hoping I can get myself home. And, I'm terribly cranky when I'm tired."

"You're not cranky. And, I promise to let you get some sleep this time. I'll be over as soon as I can."

"Don't take too long. Because, if I'm asleep when you get there, you can't hate me."

They hung up smiling. Warrick had listened to the flirty sound in Grissom's voice and knew immediately why he had wanted to get out of the office. He smiled at the back of his boss's head, and for the first time in a long time saw him as a human.

Nick overheard Sara's end of the call while they were together in the file room. "Hot date, Sar?"

She glanced over at him. Repeating the conversation over in her head, she knew Nick could not have known who she was talking to. "A friend. We were supposed to spend yesterday together, but the I-15 call changed our plans. He wants to come over today and hang out." Sara chuckled and tried to make her voice sound light, "Who am I to complain if someone wants to watch me lie in a coma for 10 hours, right?"

Grissom knocked on her door forty-five minutes later. She answered with a yawn, "You're pushing you luck, bud. You had five more minutes and I was going to bed."

He raised an eyebrow and smirked at her. Grissom's eyes took in her appearance from head to toe. She looked so casual in her grey sweats and dark blue LVPD T-shirt, with her hair pulled back in a pony tail. "Are you going to invite me in?"

She yawned again through her grin, "I suppose I have to now that you're here."

Sara walked back to the bedroom and fell face down on the bed. She was stretched out in the most awkward of positions. Grissom cocked his head to the side. "You look like a crime scene," he quipped.

"I feel like one too," Sara mumbled into the pillow.

Grissom changed into a pair of dark green pajama bottoms and a dark grey T-shirt before crawling under the sheets. "Sara, you might want to get under the sheets before you pass out."

Sara had not moved since she had thrown herself onto the bed. "Shhh. I'm trying to sleep here."

"You got a few winks of sleep at work. You should at least have an ounce of energy in there... somewhere."

She grumbled as she scrambled around and with the sheets. Without moving off of the bed, Sara managed to get herself under the sheets and nestled in snuggly. She lay on her side facing her nightstand. Grissom eyed her with the most amusing smiles.

"You are cranky, aren't you?"

"I told you so," Sara whined, "I'm so tired. If we didn't have to go back to work tonight, I'd be more than willing to drink 10 pots of coffee and stay up until next week. But, instead, we have no idea when we're going to get a day off, and I–"

"Shhh. Relax. Come here." Grissom moved closer to her in the bed. Sara, wanting his touch more than anything else – other than sleep at this point, slid backwards in the bed towards him. Their bodies met in the middle of the bed, and Grissom wrapped her in his arms. "Now, sleep."

"Mmm. Your arms feel so good, Grissom," Sara breathed huskily.

"And, you're a furnace. I might have been wrong about wanting under the sheets."

Sara elbowed him in the gut, and Grissom pulled her into a tight hug. She shifted her body around against him until she was comfortable. Grissom spooned her gently. He smiled and nuzzled her hair and kissed her neck.

Sara's breathing slowed and became a steady rise and fall in her chest. While falling asleep, Sara knew this was going to be the most peaceful sleep she had had in many years. Come what may in the future, Sara knew Grissom's arms were there to support her.

Grissom watched her breathing, knowing she was falling asleep. For the first time in years that he could remember, he felt at peace with the world. He was no longer alone. He had someone to stand by his side and lend a helping hand when he needed it the most.

"Thank you, Sara," he whispered into her ear, "Thank you for breathing life into me." She stirred lightly under the touch of breath on her skin, but did not wake up. Grissom fell asleep almost immediately with the biggest smirk on his face.

THE END


End file.
